In the third quarter the number of sales declined yet again on the Dutch housing market, but prices rose with no less than 9.2 percent. In other countries though, including the UK, prices for owner-occupied homes are declining again. An omen for the Dutch market?

Just like in the first quarter fewer homes were sold between April and June 2018. Yet, house prices have increased rapidly in the same period. Decreasing affordability and accessibility of the owner-occupied market severely undermine buyer confidence on the housing market.

While we still expect house prices to increase substantially this year, sales activities seem to reached a turning point on the Dutch housing market. Hampered by an increasing scarcity of homes in almost all regions, we have adjusted our 2018 sales forecast from 250,000 to 235,000 homes, a decline of 3% compared to 2017.